with twilight as my guide
by cherrygemini
Summary: three students are picked to attend an academic fair just a few states over. when things take a turn for the worst and they end up lost, they must work together alongside a kind stranger to find their way back home. if they can even make it out alive.
1. Chapter 1

_**with twilight as my guide.**_

_rating_ **;** t.  
><em>genre<em> **;** adventure/drama/romance  
><em>pairings<em> **;** iceland/liechtenstein and america/lithuania, with an array of different side pairings.  
><em>warnings<em> **;** au, language.  
><em>summary<em> **;** three students are picked to attend an academic fair just a few states over. when things take a turn for the worst and they end up lost, they must work together along with a kind stranger to find their way back home. if they can even make it out alive.

_disclaimer_ **;** i don't own shit.

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><p><em>001.<em>

"Just promise me you'll be careful, alright?"

A tall man no younger than twenty stood by a much smaller girl - one could only assume they were related due to their strikingly similar appearances. One tiny hand clutched the handle of her suitcase, and the other was clinging to her brother's; she was obviously nervous. But the girl smiled brightly as if to reassure the man hovering over her.

"I promise, Vash! I will be fine. Please don't worry about me."

The man, whose name was revealed to be Vash, muttered slightly. It was hard letting her go. She was still so small, so fragile… She wasn't ready to grow up.

(Or was it he who was not ready for her to?)

"Oh! The train is here!"

Vash gulped, not yet ready to let go of his little sister's shoulders. "Elise, I… Uh… B-be safe! And uh, I… what I mean to say is…" But he trailed off, unable to finish his sentence.

The girl - Elise - smiled knowingly. "I love you too, Vash!" She giggled, before standing on her tippy-toes to kiss his cheek. And with one last hand squeeze and a wave, she ran towards her train.

He watch her as she got on. He had wanted to go with her; just for a moment, to see that she was comfortable and alright. But Elise insisted that she would be fine. She would be with two other companions - school mates of hers. She would not be alone.

It was time to let go.

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><p>Emil trudged towards the train, exhausted from the long walk. It was a good two miles from his apartment to the train station, but his older brother had no intention of driving him to his destination. He wasn't that surprised, though. The two were never that close. They lived together, along with his brother's boyfriend and two other roommates, but they acted more like strangers than family. Emil was completely on his own.<p>

He, like three others from his school, had been hand picked to represent their school at an academic fair two states over.

Emil had no actual intention of going. Until he discovered who his companions would be.

Actually, he didn't give a shit about the other guy. Just Elise. Beautiful, wonderful, amazing Elise.

And the more he thought of it, this event didn't sound so bad. A weekend with the prettiest girl in the world, and a chance to escape his asshole of a brother and that disgusting man that lived with them with his disgusting laugh and the disgusting sex noises he made late at night while fucking his stupid older brother when Emil was trying so, so hard to sleep.

Yeah.

It wouldn't be so bad.

Right?

Right.

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><p>will i ever update this? of course. will i finish it? i really hope. i'm only posting this now because hopefully, knowing that i've got even just one chapter published might motivate me to continue. you know, like it's a real responsibility. welp.<p>

this fanfic is heavily inspired by a yu-gi-oh fanfic called 'a train of thoughts'. it's absolutely wonderful, and i suggest you check it out when you have the time.

(the title of this fanfic has nothing to do with anything. i just really like the mars volta. huehuehue.)


	2. Chapter 2

_002._

_you should have seen the curse that flew right by you  
>page of concrete, stained walks crutch in hobbled sway<br>auto-da-fe, a capillary hint of red, only this manupod  
>crescent in shape has escaped. <em>

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><p>"Yo! Elise! Over here!"<p>

Elise turned to face Alfred, a senior to her sophomore, to see that he had saved three seats on the train, with him sitting right in the middle. She smiled brightly; Alfred had always been a part of her life, as he was good friends with her cousin, Gilbert. Being that she and Vash lived with their cousins, she saw a lot of the outgoing young man who was practically family himself.

He patted the sight to the right, motioning her to sit down.

"How've you been, kiddo? How's Gilbert been? I haven't seen him in a while... is he still living in the basement?" Alfred grinned as he spoke, fondly remembering his dear friend who spent more time playing 'Call of Duty' than spending time out of the house.

Elise giggled brightly; she had always loved Gilbert dearly - he was quite the character, really. "Gilbert's doing well, yes. He doesn't really leave the basement unless he wants food. It's been really annoying Grandfather as of late." Her Grandfather Alberich, who she lived with alongside her brother and cousins, had never approved of his grandson's behavior. A straight-laced war veteran, Alberich was always tough on the kids, _especially _the oldest. It wasn't that Gilbert was a disappointment, but rather, he was living a rather unhealthy life Alberich did not approve of.

Alfred gave Elise another goofy smile and brought his arms behind his head. "Hey, when's that kid gonna show up? Emil or whatever? The train's about to leave."

Elise was about to answer that she didn't know, but when she turned to face the door of their train, there he was.

"U-uh, hey..." Emil mumbled, a hint of nervousness and slight agitation in his voice. "I guess this is where we're sitting?" He walked towards the two others, quietly sitting down. Alfred just had to sit between them, didn't he.

Alfred the cockblock.

Who couldn't even sense the tense atmosphere as he continued to talk to the now flustered Elise. She'd reply back politely, trying to hide her self-consciousness. Otherwise, she kept quiet, attempting to keep herself from saying something stupid in front of Emil, who remained brooding to the side.

Alfred eventually let the conversation die down in favor of popping a pair of headphones in his ears and listening to his iPod.

The next hour was uncomfortably quiet.

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><p>"Shit, I have to pee. There's a bathroom here, right?" Alfred got up from his seat, looking around for somewhere to relieve himself before he exploded.<p>

"Ah… I think there's one towards the end of our car," Elise replied, pointing in that direction. Emil only grumbled lightly, although there was a small part of him that brightened up at the prospect of being alone with Elise.

(Not that he'd actually be able to muster up the courage to hold a conversation with her. But hey - this was a start.)

He had to say something. The silence was killing him.

"So, uh," he began as he watched Alfred run towards the bathroom (was it really that necessary for him to push that poor old lady out of the way?), "how have you been?"

Elise fidgeted nervously, though managed to smile lightly. "U-um, I've been fine… how about you?"

Oh shit this was awkward. He knew he shouldn't have said anything. He knew what was coming. He'd reply, she'd smile and nod, and then they'd sit there in silence until Alfred came back and swept Elise off her feet with his stupid charm that Emil swore to God made girls actually swoon.

"Oh, I've been… fine, too." He tried to push his thoughts to the back of his head, but to no avail. Why the fuck did he have to be such a loser? God, even his shit-stain of an older brother was better at charming people. And he never fucking _talks_.

Elise turned back to the window and peaked outside, hiding a faint blush. "Odd…" she mumbled, "the rain's really picked up."

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><p>Alfred walked out of the small bathroom, utterly glad that he had made it just in time. He knew he should have used the bathroom before he left home, but he had been in such a rush. Hell, he even ended up forgetting his suitcase and his step-brother Matthew had to chase after his car on foot until he noticed him.<p>

He chuckled to himself, reminded of how utterly disheveled poor Matthew looked upon finally being noticed. That guy was hilarious.

"O-oh gosh! I-I'm so sorry... I was not looking where I was going! P-please to be forgiving me..."

Alfred hadn't even noticed that he had bumped into someone. He blinked a little before realizing his surroundings, noticing that he was face to face with a slightly shorter young man with shoulder length brown hair and an absolutely adorable accent that was definitely not American.

"Nah, it's my fault, dude! I wasn't paying attention to my surroundings. Don't worry about it!"

The man stopped shaking and smiled a little. There was something almost soothing about the boisterous teen's voice. Loud, yes, but relaxing and kind.

"So what's your name, dude?" Alfred asked, grinning. This guy was adorable.

"Toris. Toris Lorinaitis." He replied, his voice sounding much more relaxed.

"Toe-riss? Is that Russian or something?"

His smile brightened as he chuckled. "I am from Lithuania. I came to America, eh... six months ago, I believe?"

Alfred patted Toris' back a little too hard, "Haha! Isn't it great here? I bet you love it!"

"It's... nice here, yes. I enjoy the people. They are very warm-"

But his words were cut off when the lights began to flicker and the train began to shake violently as the storm around them turned hostile and he found himself practically holding the sandy-blond boy, whose once relaxed features were now twisted into horror, in his arms.

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><p>Emil and Elise sat in silence for what seemed like forever, both thinking the exact same thing.<p>

**_Where the hell was Alfred?_**

The quiet was killing them both, and both of them wished for something, anything, to break it.

Ironically, that's when they both heard the sound of shattering lightning hitting what sounded like metal. The lights began to flicker on and off, and in seconds Elise's hands were tightly wrapped around Emil's shirt. Too shocked and spooked by the noises to realize how close Elise was to him, he grabbed her hand tightly, both of them shaking in fear.

_"Attention passengers, please stay calm. We've run into some troub-" _Static filled everyone's ears as the conductor was cut off. No one made a sound, making it possible for them to hear what sounded like yelling coming from the other cars. Soon enough, the static ended and the voice came back. _"-please evacuate to the next car if you have not."_

The two teens stood up quickly, still holding hands. People around them began to run towards the cars in front of them, blocking each other in attempts to get inside first. They tried to make it through the panicked crowd together, practically crawling their way past an elderly man and two parents trying desperately to hush their crying children. When they finally made it to the front, they watched in horror as the car in front of them broke apart from the rest of the train and fell from the tracks.

It was on fire.

And so was theirs.

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><p>Emil grabbed hold of Elise, shielding her shaking body with his as he dragged himself towards the now open door.<p>

This was the only way to escape now.

Without a single thought, he tightened his hold and swallowed deeply, trying desperately to ignore the traumatizing screams of the people around him.

He hoped to God Alfred was not one of them.

He watched as the fire quickly spread towards their car, his vision being blurred by the thick, black smoke that seemed like an omen of oncoming death. He could see nothing and hear nothing, as the deafening screams and cries around him rung in his ears. But he finally found the handle of the door, Elise still in his arms.

And then he jumped.

Emil could feel his body rolling, the screams slowly dying down. All he heard now were Elise's own cries, and he wanted nothing more than to comfort her, tell her that everything was going to be okay. But his own consciousness was slipping, and by the time his body stopped moving and his back finally hit solid ground, everything around him went completely dark.

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><p>this is basically where the plot goes in a slightly different direction than the fanfic 'train of thoughts' that i've based it on.<p>

anyway, to clear up some stuff and add in notes that i couldn't really fit into the chapter!

elise lives with her grandfather and her half-brother vash zwingli and their three cousins; gilbert and ludwig beilschmidt, and roderich edelstein (who's actually moving out to live with his girlfriend, elizaveta hedervary). gilbert's about 20 and ludwig 17, while roderich is 19 and vash is 18. elise herself is 15. her grandfather is pretty much loaaaaded, so they're really well off. her last name is vogel, by the way. i'll dive deeper into each character's family histories later on, but to clear confusion now, vash and elise share a father and have different mothers. elise uses her father's last name and vash uses his mother's.

and the other two; alfred is obviously a jones, and lives in a pretty nice house with his mom, step-dad, and step-brother - matthew williams. they're both 17. emil, like i mentioned before, lives in a shitty apartment with his older brother erik, erik's boyfriend mathias, and two other roommates - tino and berwald. emil's last name steillson, and he's about 16.

as for toris? he's the oldest of the group at 20, and a lithuanian immigrant.

i'm not yet sure where they all live, but i'm kind of thinking somewhere in the midwest. lots of farms and cows. \o/

anyway, thank you all for the reviews and the favorites and the story alerts! it really means so much to me. ;w;


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